I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant
by TheEarthbendingRavenclaw
Summary: The team is trapped at Dragon's Edge by a snow storm, when something strange seems to be happening to Astrid. Horrible title and summary, I know. Set sometime after HTTYD2. Rated T just to be safe.
1. For Better or Worse

For Better or Worse:

"Blergh!"

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes at the sound. It came again and he sighed as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Strapping on his prosthetic, he walked over to where his wife was hurling into a bucket in the corner of their hut at Dragon's Edge.

She'd been sick a lot lately, but given the circumstances lately, that wasn't surprising, given the current circumstances. Hiccup set his hand on her back and rubbing small circles. He sighed as she continued to throw up. He wished there was something he could do to take away her stress. Astrid finally stopped emptying her guts into the bucket.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked as he stroked her hair.

Astrid nodded and wiped her mouth off on the back of her hand. Hiccup took the bucket from his wife's hand and stepped outside to dump it. The biting wind chilled him to the bone, snow blinding him as he threw the contents out. He stepped back inside the hut and shook off the snow stuck on his clothes and hair.

"I want to go see her," Astrid said as Hiccup entered back into the hut.

Hiccup held back a groan. "Astrid, it's the middle of the night, the storm is still going, in fact I think it's gotten stronger since this afternoon."

"I want to see her," Astrid insisted.

Hiccup sighed, he knew this wasn't a good idea, but he didn't want to argue with her. He opened a chest near the door and took out his and Astrid's coats. As Astrid put on her boots, Hiccup set her coat over her shoulders and then put on his own. He watched her fasten her buttons. Her face was emotionless, empty. Hiccup felt his heart tighten.

She'd been through a lot lately, and it was taking its toll on her. In the back of his mind he knew she'd be okay, this was Astrid, after all. But he couldn't help but worry. Hiccup had only seen Astrid this sullen once before, when her mother died. It hadn't taken her as long to snap out of it then though, which concerned him even further.

Hiccup put his arm around her shoulders and pushed the door open. The flurry of snow burst into the room, biting at what small areas of their skin were exposed. Hiccup struggled to close the door behind him, and then picked up the rope that led to the stables. With Astrid's hands on his shoulders, he followed the rope, hand over hand, squinting to see as far ahead as he could in the snow, which was only about five feet. He shivered viciously. He really wished he could go back to bed with Astrid, and cuddle up under the warm blankets, and sleep, but he needed to keep Astrid stable.

After what seemed like forever, the looming shape of the stables stand out from the white depths. Dropping the rope, Hiccup pulled the door open, ushered Astrid inside, then closed the door behind him. The inside of the stables were not much warmer than the outside, but at least the wind wasn't biting at every inch of his body. Astrid immediately ran to Stormfly's stall, and threw her arms around the Nadder's neck. The light from the torches on the walls threw gloomy shadows on the floor, as Astrid whispered in a lowly voice to her dragon.

Hiccup watched his wife, though she seemed a bit happier than before, her shoulders were still slumped, and her head slightly hung. Though concerned, he decided to give his wife some privacy, and walked to Toothless' stall. He surprised to find the Night Fury wasn't asleep, but was wide awake with his nose facing in the direction of Berk. Hiccup patted Toothless' nose.

"Yeah, I know, bud," Hiccup patted the dragon's head. "I'm worried about Berk, too."

Toothless grumbled sadly and rubbed against his rider.

"As soon as this storm lets up we'll head back home, I promise," Hiccup assured his friend.

"If the Dragon Hunter's don't ambush and kill us," Astrid called from the neighboring stall.

Toothless let out a concerned moan, and Hiccup sighed.

"That's not gonna happen," Hiccup assured her as he stepped out of his stall and walked over to Stormfly's. "Last time we saw them that were in a boat. Little boats, giant blizzard, it's not gonna end well for them."

Astrid didn't reply, but continued to stroke her dragon's head, barely acknowledging her husband's presence. Hiccup frowned, but didn't push her to talk. Instead, he moved to check Stormfly's wing. A long line of stiches patched up a long gash from a hunter's spear. He gently ran his fingers over the stitching.

"She's healing up well," Hiccup assured Astrid. "She'll be able to fly again in a few days, given that the storm lets up."

"You're sure?" Astrid asked in a whisper, not turning to look him.

"Yes," Hiccup replied.

"Good," Astrid nodded. An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair. Hiccup moved to set a hand on her shoulder. Astrid's only response was to nod again.

"Good. The last thing I need is to mess something else up."

"Astrid," Hiccup put a hand on either of her shoulders and turned her to face him. "None of this is your fault. How could you know there was a trap waiting for you and Stormfly?"

Astrid shrugged, "I dunno. But…"

"Astrid-"

"It took us long enough to find out who it was. I should have known from the beginning who it was. I don't know why-"

"Because it's been almost a decade since there's been any dragon hunter activity. Astrid," Hiccup pushed his wife's hair out of her face with one hand, and cradled her cheek with the other. "Why would you suspect it was them?"

"Because we've dealt with them before, I should have recognized-"

"Astrid," Hiccup removed his hand from her hair, and wrapped his arm around her waist, while keeping his other hand on her face. Astrid stared up at him, her usually vibrant blue eyes, dull with emotional numbness. It broke his heart, and he leaned his forehead against hers.

"None of this is your fault. The hunters coming back isn't your fault, Stormfly getting hurt during the escape isn't your fault, getting trapped by this snow storm on Dragon's Edge isn't your fault…" he paused for a moment, gently stroking Astrid's cheek with his thumb, hesitating on voicing the last part, the part that he knew was hurting her the most. "And it's not your fault we lost the baby."

Astrid hung her head, tears brimming her eyes, her hand hovering over her flat stomach. Hiccup pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, his own throat tightening as he remembered finding his wife unconscious in the woods. Cuts crisscrossing over her skinned, and spotted in bruises, inflicted by her tumble from the sky after Stormfly had been captured. He didn't even land Toothless, he just jumped from the dragon's back to his wife side, and pulled her in his arms, to reveal a puddle of blood forming underneath her legs.

Anger broiled in him as he snapped back to the present, his wife trembling in his arms as he ran his hand over her hair. Hiccup considered himself a decently nice person. He'd usually never admit to hating anyone, but the Dragon Hunters were different. Not only did they kill people and dragons without any consideration, but they had killed his baby.

Hiccup stood there, rocking his wife back and forth as she quietly sobbed. A few tears ran down his face, his heart aching for the child he'd never meet, but he knew he had to be strong for Astrid. After a while, Astrid's sobs grew quieter, and quieter, and slower. Hiccup pulled her back for a little while, and gently wiped away the remainder of her tears.

"There, now," Hiccup kissed her forehead. "It's gonna get better," he set his chin on top her head, and rub small circles on her back. "We'll make it."

They stood there like that a while longer, just rocking back and forth, clinging tightly to one another, keeping one another strong.

"C'mon," Hiccup finally said, releasing his wife from his embrace and gripping her hands. "Let's get back to bed."

Astrid nodded, her tear-stained face shining in the torch light. They braved the storm again, Astrid with her hands on Hiccup's shoulders, and him following the rope, hand over hand. The wind bit at Hiccup's skin, even through his clothes. He shuddered, barring his head down to keep the wind from stinging his eyes.

"Ah!"

The presence of Astrid's hands all of a sudden disappeared from Hiccup's shoulder. Panicked, Hiccup dropped the rope and turned to see Astrid had slipped on a patch of ice, and laid crumpled on the ground.

"Astrid!" Hiccup dropped the rope and kneeled to his wife's side. He grabbed Astrid and pulled her into a sitting position. Astrid had a grimace of pain and disgust on her face.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked.

"I think so…" Astrid replied as Hiccup helped her back on her feet.

"Are you sure?"

Astrid nodded.

"Okay," Hiccup nodded in response. "Okay, let's get back."

They resumed their trek through the howling, white beast until they made it back to Hiccup's old hut. Hiccup took his and Astrid's coats and hung them over the trunk to dry. He then walked over to the fireplace and stoked up the embers and add heat to the room. He finally joined his wife in bed, and snuggled under the covers with her. Astrid laid to her head on his chest. Hiccup ran his hand over her hair comfortingly.

"We'll make it," he assured her once again. "We'll make it."


	2. Backache

Backache:

Hiccup felt himself moving, like he was in a ship on the waves. A low moaning noise registered through the sleepy haze that hovered over him. Slowly the haze began to lift, and he realized that his wife was tossing and turning in the bed and groaning beside him.

"Astrid?" Hiccup turned to Astrid, who had a hand squeezing her lower back and moaned.

"Astrid, are you okay?" Hiccup asked as he set his hand on Astrid's shoulder.

"My back hurts," Astrid replied. "I think I must have twisted or pulled something when I slipped on the ice."

Hiccup set a hand over hers on her back. "Right here?"

Astrid nodded.

"Here, roll on your stomach," Hiccup instructed as he pulled himself into a sitting position as Astrid rolled over. He straddled her thighs, and set his hands on her lower back to massage her. The muscles in her back were very tight. Hiccup frowned in concern as he began to gently dig his fingers into her back and try and loosen the muscles.

Astrid seemed to relax as the muscles in her back slowly loosened up. Astrid relaxed a bit.

"Thanks, babe," she sighed.

"Anything for you, m'lady," Hiccup replied. He massaged her back a bit longer, then laid back down and tucked the blankets around him and his wife. Astrid snuggled back up against Hiccup, and he put his arm around her. The wind outside howled ferociously. Astrid groaned.

"I'm getting really tired of this storm," she seethed.

Hiccup chuckled. "That makes two of us."

"Remember all the time we spent here as kids?" Astrid asked.

"Of course I do."

"Remember how we never wanted to leave?'

Hiccup chuckled, knowing what was coming next. "Well, we never got snowed in for this long."

"Ergh!" Astrid buried her face into Hiccup's chest. "Just our luck we'd get trapped."

Hiccup chuckled again and kissed the top of her head.

"I wish I could go back to those times, though," Astrid sighed. "Everything was simpler back then."

Hiccup bit his lip and pulled her closer. "Yeah, I know."

Astrid chuckled. "Remember when Tuffnut thought he was going to turn into a Lycanwing?"

Hiccup leaned his head back and laughed. "Oh, do I ever! He tried to give Ruffnut to me as a sister. I don't know which of us was more relieved that there was actually no curse…"

Astrid smiled. "Well, don't tell her I said this, but I am glad that I don't have to have Ruffnut as an inlaw."

Hiccup let out a nervous chuckle. "Don't worry, your secret is-"

Astrid suddenly tensed in Hiccup's arms.

"Astrid?" Hiccup looked down at her, his brow furrowed in concerned as he saw her pained face.

"Backache is coming back," she grumbled through clenched teeth.

Hiccup sat back up and began to try to help Astrid roll back over, but she shook her head. She sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"I think I need to walk it off," she explained as she began to pace back and forth across the floor. Hiccup sat, watching his wife walk around the hut as she rubbed her lower back.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked.

Astrid shook her head. "No, I'll be fine, just go back to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

Astrid shot Hiccup a small smile. "Yes, it's just a pulled muscle, go to sleep."

Hiccup laid back down, but stayed awake a while longer to make sure Astrid was okay. After a few minutes of nothing else happening, Hiccup let the sound of the storm, and his wife's footsteps lull him to sleep.

 _Scratch. Scratch. Scratch._

Hiccup woke up to the sound of something scraping at the door of the hut. Groaning he rolled back over and tried to go back to sleep.

 _Scratch. Scratch. Scratch._

"Squawk!"

Hiccup moaned and pulled himself out of the bed. "I guess I'm just not destined to sleep tonight," he mumbled as he walked to the door. He took his sword off a hook on the wall just to be safe before opening the door.

"Stormfly?"

The Deadly Nadder rushed passed Hiccup into the hut and to a far back corner.

"Stormfly, what are you…?how did you-" as Hiccup walked towards the dragon he passed by the bed, and realized that Astrid was not in it. He glanced about the hut, but didn't see her anywhere.

"Astrid?"

"Over here," came a faint reply from the corner Stormfly had rushed to. Hiccup rushed over and pushed past the dragon, upsetting her greatly. The Nadder snapped at him, but he pushed her snout away to find his wife huddled in the corner clutching her stomach, with a grimace of pain on her face.

"Astrid?" Hiccup quickly dropped to her level and set his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Do I need-?"

"Hiccup, I'm fine," Astrid said with tears on her face.

"Then why are you crying?"

Astrid didn't answer right away as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

"Astrid?"

Astrid hung her head as she answered, "My cycle has come back."

Hiccup's heart ached as he understood. "Oh." Hiccup lowered himself to sit next to her. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"I'm sorry, Astrid," he whispered as her gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I wish I could fix this for you, for us."

"I know you do," Astrid answered. "And I'm sorry, too."

They said nothing else, they just sat there, tears slowly rolling down their cheeks. Stormfly stared at her rider, cooing worriedly. Astrid set a hand on her dragon's snout, and nestled her head against her husband's shoulder. Hiccup set his hand on Astrid's head and ran his fingers through her hair.

Hiccup felt something stirring at his side. He awoke and realized that he and Astrid had fallen asleep in the corner. He opened his eyes to find Astrid stumbling to a barrel of water. She was clutching her stomach as she dipped a bucket into the barrel and set it on the floor. "Stormfly, warm it up," she ordered her Deadly Nadder, who was still hovering near her rider. Stromfly obliged, and shot a blast of fire into the bucket.

"Astrid, are you okay?" Hiccup asked as he stood to his feet.

"Cramps are really bad," Astrid answered, as she clutched her abdomen. "Can you get me a rag, babe?"

Hiccup opened a nearby trunk and retrieved a rag. He handed to his wife. She dunked it into the bucket, then walked back over the bed, pulled her nightgown up to set the rag on her abdomen. Hiccup laid down next to her.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Astrid shook her head. "I'll be fine, just go to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

Astrid nodded. Hiccup frowned in worry as he set his hand over her army. He was just about to drift off asleep. When Astrid suddenly let out a sharp cry. Hiccup jolted back awake.

"Astrid, wha-" Hiccup insides suddenly went cold, as he looked down and saw a red puddle forming underneath Astrid's legs.


	3. Something's Wrong

**Author's Note: Hi, so, I usually don't do these because they are annoying, but I just wanted to specify some things. Fishlegs and Heather are married in this, as are Ruffnut and Eret. I do have OC's planned as wives for Snotlout and Tuffnut, but I won't be introducing them in this story.**

Something's Wrong:

"Oh Thor!" Hiccup gasped as the puddle underneath Astrid grew larger.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried just before a shriek of pain escaped her throat. "Hiccup something's wrong!" She screamed. "Something's wrong! Go get Fishlegs! Go get Heather!"

Hiccup jumped to his feet, grabbed his coat and raced out the door. He fished around for the rope leading to Fishlegs and Heather's hut, and moved as quickly as he could with the blizzard bearing down on him. His footing slipped, and he fell to the ground. He felt a slight twinge of pain in his right knee, but jumped back up and kept moving. He finally reached the Ingerman hut and banged on the door.

"Fishlegs! Heather!"

Nothing.

"Fishlegs! Heather! Please, open up!"

Nothing.

Hiccup began violently banging on the door with both fists.

"C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!"

A weary Heather finally opened the door, dressed in her nightgown, while Fishlegs snored on the bed behind her.

"Hiccup? What the heck is going-"

"It's Astrid," Hiccup replied. "Something's wrong with her. She's bleeding, and she's in a lot of pain, and I don't know what's going on, just help!"

Heather quickly raced back to the bed and shook Fishlegs awake. The burly Viking hopped awake and Heather quickly explained the situation. The two then raced, grabbing medical books, first aid kits, and throwing off their coats.

"Let's go," Heather said as her husband stumbled to put on his boots. Not wanting to wait any longer, Hiccup turned and raced back towards his hut. Heather followed close behind, a stack of books and supplies under her arm. Hiccup didn't even notice the wind biting at him as he led the way back to his hut. After a few excruciating moments, Hiccup burst through the door. Astrid still laid on the bed clutching her stomach and groaning in pain. Hiccup rushed to her side and set a hand on her shoulder.

"I got them, you're gonna be okay?" Hiccup whispered to her.

Heather set her load down and stood by Astrid's side.

"Astrid, we're gonna take care of you, what's going on?" Heather asked.

"I-I, my cycle started back tonight, but the cramps are-" Astrid stopped talking and cried out in pain. The noise chilled Hiccup to his bone and he squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"The cramps are awful, and I'm bleeding way more than usual," Astrid finished explaining.

"Okay," Heather nodded. She moved and placed a hand on her forehead. She chewed on her lip as she thought through the information she'd just received.

"She's hot and she's broken into a sweat," Heather explained to Hiccup. "It might be a fever."

Fishlegs finally busted in the room, his entire face hidden by books and boxes.

"Fishlegs, I told you not to over do it!" Heather scolded.

"I know, so I just brought the basic necessities," Fishlegs replied.

"Basic nece-Nevermind!" Heather sighed. "Check the pregnancy and birth books, I think she might have a post-miscarriage infection."

Hiccup's inside turned ice cold. He wasn't sure what this kind of infection would entail, but he was sure it wasn't good. Fishlegs let a high-pitched squeak, which did not reassure Hiccup at all.

"Is she going to be okay?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know if she's sick yet," Heather tried to assure him, "I need to check her out first."

Heather moved to the foot of the bed, and pulled back the blankets, and checked between her legs.

"Here, I've got it," Fishlegs finally called. "Symptoms for post-miscarriage infaction are: fever, chills, cramp-"

"Oh Thor," Heather gasped, her eyes wide.

"Heather?" Hiccup whispered. "What is it?"

"This is impossible," Heather whispered.

"-bleeding, and-" Fishlegs continued in the back until Heather cut him off.

"That's okay, hon, it's not an infection," Heather called.

"Oh, thank Odin!" Fishlegs sighed in relief. "So, what is it?"

"Astrid, I know this is still hard on you, but how far along were you when you miscarried?" Heather asked.

"Eighteen weeks," Astrid answered.

"And how long ago was that?"

"Four and a half months."

Heather's face turned white.

"Heather?" Hiccup asked, his voice trembling. "What's going on?"

"Heather?" Fishlegs also questioned.

"Fish, give me that book," Heather replied in a quiet voice. Fishlegs obliged, and Heather frantically flipped through the pages. She finally stopped and read over a page, her brow furrowed.

Astrid let out a shriek of pain.

"Okay, Heather, stop fooling around! What is going on?" Hiccup demanded.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but…" Heather closed the book and handed back to Fishlegs.

"But what!?" Hiccup shouted.

"You didn't miscarry," Heather answered.

"WHAT!?" Hiccup and Astrid shouted in unison.

"You didn't miscarry," Heather replied. "And you're in labor."

Hiccup collapsed to ground, and had to cling to side of the bed to keep himself in a sitting position. Everything blurred, and the sounds began become dull. His head was spinning uncontrollably, and his heart rate was sky high. He put a hand to his head and squeezed his eyes closed, trying to wrap his head around what he'd just heard.

"No," he finally managed to make out of the haze he was in.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Astrid cried. "No, this can't be happening. I can't be having a-" Astrid was cut off again, and she began the scream.

"Astrid, you're dilating, you're about to have a baby," Heather replied.

Astrid shook her head, tears running down her face. "No, this can't be possible! I don't even look pregnant!"

"No, you don't, but you are, Heather stated, as she stored the book away and turned to Fishlegs. "Fish!"

"Oh, Thor! Oh, Thor! Oh, Thor!" Fishlegs cried. "Oh, this isn't good!"

"Fishlegs!" Heather shouted. "Get Stormfly out of here."

Heather gestured to the Deadly Nadder that was hovering over the bed, squawking in fear.

"Okay, okay," Fishlegs moved to the dragon. "Come on, girl, let's go."

Fishlegs reached for Stormfly, but she snapped at him, causing him to let out a screech. The noise finally snapped Hiccup out of his daze and he jumped to action.

"It's okay, it's okay, girl," he assured Stormfly as he stroked the dragon's neck. "It's gonna be okay, but we need you to go back to the stable with Fishlegs so we can help Astrid.

Stormfly didn't snap or growl at Hiccup, but she didn't look pleased, and she didn't move.

"Sotrmfly, go," Astrid panted as sweat poured down her brow.

Stormfly grumbled, but Astrid insisted. "Go, girl, I'll be fine. Go with Fishlegs."

The Nadder was clearly unhappy, but agreed to obey her rider, and followed a shaking Fishlegs out the door.

"Hiccup," Heather called. "Get together all the clean blankets and towels you can. A rag and some cool water, a string and knife for the cord, and if you have any shirts we can dress the baby in, grab them."

Hiccup rushed to gather all the supplies Heather listed. Astrid screamed out in pain as he gathered all the necessary objects.

"It's going to be soon," Heather told the couple as Hiccup brought the last of the supplies to her. "Hiccup, I'll need you to sit behind Astrid and keep her propped up so the baby will come easier."

"Okay," Hiccup nodded, and moved to Astrid's side.

Tears were rolling down her face, as she gritted her teeth in pain.

"Hiccup, I can't do this," she cried.

"Yes you can," Hiccup assured her as he climbed behind her, picking her shoulders up and setting her against him.

"I didn't even know I was pregnant, what if I did something to hurt it?"

"It'll be okay," Hiccup promised, even though he wasn't sure he could keep that promise. "You're gonna be okay."

"Astrid, you're going to have to push soon, get ready," Heather called.

Astrid shook her head. "This has to be a dream, this can't be-AUGH!"

"Sh," Hiccup took both of Astrid's hands in his. "Don't worry, just focus on the baby."

Astrid closed her eyes and began to take deep breaths.

"There you go," Hiccup whispered into her ear. "That's it."

Astrid suddenly tensed, and let a cry escape her mouth and squeezed both of Hiccup's hands.

"Okay," Heather called. "Your ready, on the count of three, I want you to push."

Astrid nodded, letting out a pained and frightened whimper.

"You can do it," Hiccup assured her.

"Alright, here we go," Heather instructed. "One, two, three. Push!"


	4. Surprise

Surprise:

Hiccup's fingers went instantly numb as Astrid began to push. Hiccup gritted his teeth, but said nothing. Astrid's face turned bright red as she pushed down.

"Okay, Astrid, you do need to breathe," Heather instructed.

Astrid gasped for breath, a high pitched cry of pain escaping as she exhaled.

"There you go, breathe in and out," Heather encourage. "Breathe and push."

Astrid rolled her chin to her chest, and pushed while breathing as deeply and regularly as she could. Sweat drenched her golden hair and forehead. Hiccup's fingers began to go numb, but he didn't care. His only focus was on whether or not his wife and child would be okay. Astrid stopped pushing for a moment and collapsed against Hiccup's chest.

Hiccup gently removed his hand from hers to reach to the side of the bed where a bucket of water and rag were sitting. He squeezed the rag out and began to press it against her forehead. Astrid let out a small whimper as the rag cooled her brow.

"Astrid, get ready to push again," Heather coached.

Astrid let out a small cry, but nodded. Hiccup set the rag back down and took her hand back in his.

"You're doing great," Hiccup whispered in her ear, though he had no clue if she was doing well or not, or if the baby was okay. Hiccup's throat immediately grew tight at the thought of something begin wrong with the baby. After trying to recover from loosing his child for over four months, only to learn he didn't lose the child at all. But was the baby okay? Would they lose their child all over again.

He was snapped out of his worried trance when Astrid's iron grip clamp over his hands again. Astrid's face grew red again, tiny sobs of pain escaping in between gasps for air. Hiccup rubbed small circles on the back of Astrid's hands with his thumbs as he whispered reassuring words into her ear.

"You can do it, you're gonna be okay."

Astrid shook her head as she continued to push. "No. No. No, this isn't how it's supposed to go."

"I know," Hiccup whispered, hoping his voice didn't betray him in giving away how he was shaking on the inside. "I know, but you're gonna make it. We're all gonna be okay, just keep-"

"AUGH!" Astrid suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream that sent rivers of ice flowing through Hiccup's entire body.

"You're okay, Astrid," Heather encouraged. "You're doing great, I can already see the top of the head."

"Odin, kill me now!" Astrid screamed.

"Come on, I know it hurts," Heather called. "But you have to keep pushing."

Astrid whimpered, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks, but she rolled her chin back to her chest and continued to push. A horrific squeal escaped Astrid's throat as she bore down, putting every ounce of strength she had into pushing.

Astrid gasped in pain for breath, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Odin, what's taking so long?"

"Astrid, it's coming," Heather assured her. "The head's about half way out, just keep pushing."

"See, it's coming," Hiccup rubbed Astrid's shoulder. "You're doing it, you've got it."

"Oh, shut up, Hiccup!" Astrid screamed as she began pushing again.

"Shutting up," Hiccup replied as he reached over and picked the rag back up to mop her face. He gently washed away the mixture of sweat and tears from her cheeks and forehead, only to have it replaced by more droplets.

"Alright, it's almost here, Hiccup, come here," Heather instructed.

Hiccup's heart rate shot sky high as he slowly scooted back, out from behind Astrid. Astrid propped herself up on her elbows after he'd slipped out of the bed. Hiccup planted a small kiss on her forehead before rushing to Heather's side.

Heather grabbed one of the blankets off the stack of supplies Hiccup had brought her earlier.

"Hold out your hands, I'm gonna give the baby to you as soon as it comes out."

"Wait, what?" Hiccup shouted, even though he followed Heather's instructions, and she threw the blanket over his hands.

"You'll be fine," Heather assured him, before turning back to Astrid. "Okay, just a few more big pushes, Astrid, you're almost there. Go!"

Astrid curled back up and began to push. Hiccup just sat there with a blanket hanging clumsily over his outstretched hands, helpless as to what to do. Astrid let out a loud scream, her face turned red, and tears rolled down her face.

"Almost there, almost there," Heather encouraged. "One more push."

Astrid screamed again, pushing as hard as she could and then she collapsed against the bed, gasps of relief escaping her mouth.

"It's a girl!" Heather announced as she turned and set a tiny, squirming thing into Hiccup's hands. Hiccup gasped as the stared down at the little creature that had just been given to him. The baby wasn't crying, but jerking her tiny arms and legs up and down as a scowl crossed her face. Her hands and feet were blue, and she was very, very tiny.

"Hiccup?" Astrid cried. "Heather? Is she okay? Why isn't she crying?"

Heather began to wipe the baby down and massaging the sides of her chest. A small, mewing noise began to slowly rise out of the little girls mouth, and then she erupted into a scream.

"She's fine," Heather answered as she tied off the cord and cut it. "She looks fine, she's just tiny."

The baby's crying grew even louder, and began to shiver. At the sound of his baby crying from the cold, a strong, protective force sprung to life inside of Hiccup. He repositioned the little girl to the crook of his arm to free his other hand so he could tuck the blanket around her.

The baby stopped shaking, but still screamed. Hiccup cradled the tiny girl close against his chest, trying to warm her with his body heat. Heather handed him another blanket, which he wrapped around the baby over the first blanket, and then cradled her up against his chest again. The screams retreated into small cries as Hiccup stared at her.

And incredibly thick mass of reddish-brown hair covered the top of her tiny head, the red tints being complimented by the pinkness of her skin. Her lips looked like a tiny rose, nestled perfectly bellow her button nose.

Hiccup's heart began to ache as a tidal wave of emotions engulfed him. His vision grew misty, and he gently stroked the top of her head, smoothing the hair that's color was identical to his.

"You're real," he gasped as he rocked her back and forth. This was his daughter. His child he'd been told he'd lost, now snuggled safely in his arms.

"Just look at you," he whispered as he took her hand in his. She closed her hand over his index finger. It was so tiny it couldn't even completely close around the finger. Tears began to run down his face.

"You're beautiful."

 **Author's Note: Not done yet! Hang on a bit longer.**


	5. One More Thing

One More Thing:

"Augh!"

Hiccup jumped at the sound of Astrid screaming out in pain. Her face was pinched into a grimace of pain and fear. Heather turned back to her, and began to examine her.

"Heather?" Hiccup asked in a shaky voice. "What's wrong?"

"Hang on," Heather replied as she began her examination. Her face suddenly dropped.

"Odin help us," Heather gasped. "There's another one."

"Another?" Hiccup cried as Astrid began to sob.

"Astrid, get ready to push again, you're having twins," Heather instructed.

Astrid shook her head. "No, this isn't happening."

The baby girl in Hiccup's arms began crying again. Hiccup gently began to bounce her in an attempt to quiet her.

"Sh, sh, sh," he whispered, when it dawned on him that Astrid hadn't met their daughter yet. He carefully stood up, and walked to the sobbing Astrid's side

"I can't do this! I can't-"

"Astrid, it's gonna be okay, look," Hiccup kneeled down to Astrid's level and shifted the baby so she could see her. Astrid's pained expression quickly changed to a look of amazement.

"This is our daughter," Hiccup explained.

Astrid reached out a hand, and ran a finger over the baby's tiny arm.

"She's beautiful," Astrid whispered as tears of joy began running down her cheek.

"She is," Hiccup agreed. "And we're gonna have another one in a minute, you've just gotta be strong. I know you can do it, just focus, okay?"

Astrid nodded, a small smile on her face.

"You can do it," Hiccup reassured her, and repositioned the baby to the crook of his arm to free one hand for Astrid to squeeze. Astrid took it, and rolled her chin to her chest and pushed.

"There you go," Heather coached. "Doing great."

Astrid let a small yelp of pain escape her as she continued to push.

"There you go, this one is coming a lot faster than the first."

Heather grabbed a blanket and set it on Astrid's chest and stomach.

"The head is halfway out, just a few more pushes, and you'll have baby number two," Heather assured them. Astrid nodded, and began pushing again.

"There you go, almost there, almost th-wait! Stop pushing!" Heather cried.

"What?!" Astrid screeched.

"Stop pushing, the cord is stuck around the baby's neck," Heather explained.

"Stuck?" Hiccup asked in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, it's wrapped around the neck," Heather put a hand to her throat to demonstrate.

"Is it gonna be okay?" Astrid whimpered.

"It'll be fine, but I need you to stop pushing so I can get it off," Heather comforted the frightened couple.

Astrid nodded, and bit her lip, forcing herself to not give into the incredible urge to push. Tears streamed down her face as she fought against the instinct. Small drops of blood fell from her bottom lip where she bit down on it.

The baby girl began to cry again. Hiccup bounced her in his arm, turning his attention to her.

"Sh, it's okay, Mommy's gonna be okay. We're going to get your brother or sister out here soon."

"Okay, I've got it," Heather called. "Astrid, push."

Astrid gladly obliged, bearing down as hard as she could. She squeezed Hiccup's hand until it turned snow white. The baby girl continued to cry. Hiccup felt his head spinning as he tried to divide his attention between his wife and his daughter.

"Come on, it's almost here, and…"

Another baby cried.

"It's a boy," Heather announced as she lifted the baby and set him on the blanket on Astrid's chest. Astrid let out a half laugh, half sob of joy.

"There, he's fine," Heather said as she wiped the boy down and cut the cord, "they're both fine."

Astrid could only laugh as tears of joy rolled down her face. She cradled the tiny boy against her chest, gently wrapping the blanket around him, and kissing the top of his head that had the same dark auburn hair as his father and sister. The boy cried as he waved his arms about, trying to get a sense of the strange world he had been born into. He was a bit larger than his sister, but still tiny. Hiccup set his free hand on the little boy's back.

The boy seemed to quiet down a bit by that gesture. "Look at you," he whispered in awe.

"He looks just like you," Astrid smiled, as she ran a finger over the boy's hairline. The corners of Hiccup's mouth curled up into a smile. The eyebrows, the nose, the lips, they were all identical to his.

"Yeah, I guess he does."

Heather smiled at the happy couple, and slowly made her way out of the hut to give the new family some privacy.

Hiccup helped Astrid scoot the boy over a bit so he could lay the girl next to him. Astrid cradled both babies as close to her as possible, one arm around each child. Hiccup crawled into the bed next to her and set and arm around her shoulders.

Her hair was drenched in sweat, her face was still flushed red, and her eyes were puffy from crying, but right now he thought she looked beautiful. She had just given birth in a tiny hut on an island trapped in a snowstorm after spending the past four and a half month recovering from a false miscarriage. And she'd given birth to twins, no less.

"You are amazing, m'lady," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much."

Astrid turned and looked up at him, the numbness that had engulfed her eyes for months now replaced with the fiery life he was so used to seeing, only tenfold.

"I love you too," she replied, before leaning forward and kissed him. He kissed her back, and found that the life had returned not only to her eyes, but to her kisses as well. He cupped her face in his hand, rubbing circles on her cheek with his thumb. When they finally parted for air, their noses and foreheads still touching.

"I guess we should name them," Astrid finally broke the silence.

"Yeah, I guess we should," Hiccup answered. "Why not name the girl after our mothers?"

Astrid's eyes grew misty, "Annly Valka Haddock. I like it."

Hiccup smiled stroked the little girl's head. "Hi, Annly," he whispered before turning to the boy, "Now what are we gonna call you?"

"I've always liked the name Torinth," Astrid suggested.

"Torinth," Hiccup let the name roll of his tongue. "Torinth. I like it. What about a middle name?"

"How about Stoick?" Astrid asked.

Now it was Hiccup's turn to get misty-eyed as he nodded. "Okay. Torinth Stoick Haddock." He set his hand on the boy's back and gently patted him.

He slowly sat up and planted a kiss on both of his children's heads. "Our little miracles."


	6. 16 Years Later

16 years Later:

A rare heat wave had struck Berk, causing most of the citizens to retreat outside to the beaches. As Hiccup and Toothless flew along the shore of Berk, checking for any disturbances, Hiccup caught glimpse of a sight that made his heart soar.

A slender teenage girl, with her dark auburn hair, tied up in a high ponytail, and reaching to her waist, and a small boy who's shoulders were just starting to broaden wading waist deep in the ocean. On either of their shoulders was a smaller, blond-haired child. Jiniva, a ten year-old girl with two braids sat on her older sister's shoulders, and Handalf, a six year old boy with a wild mess of golden hair sat on his brothers. As the four children wrestled in a game of chicken, thirteen-year old Viddi sat next to her mother, only the top of her curly red head can be seen over her book.

Astrid was leaned up against a napping Stormfly, as she watched the four children in the water, every now and then glancing over to the one lost in her book.

Hiccup smiled down at his large family as he landed Toothless next to Stormfly and walked over to lie down next to his wife.

The younger three's pregnancy had all been perfectly normal. How Annly and Torinth managed to hide their presence until their grand arrival, Hiccup would never know, but he wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

"How are you, m'lady?" he asked as he put his arm around Astrid's waist.

"Fine," Astrid answered as she placed her hand on his.

A loud screech came from the water, as both parents turned to see what the problem was just in time to see Handalf tumble from his brother's shoulder, into the water. The little boy's head popped out of the water and he loudly gapsed for breath. Torinth scooped Handalf out of the water and held the little boy protectively to his chest, as he coughed up water.

"You okay, Handalf?" Hiccup called from the beach. When Torinth was two years old, it was discovered that he was deaf, so Hiccup didn't bother calling for him. He wasn't overly concerned about Handalf anyways. Torinth was a gentle and protective as a mother Gronkle. Nothing would happen to any of the other four children while he was around. His caring instincts had gotten him an apprenticeship with Gothi as a healer. Torinth had never been one to let his disability get in the way of anything. Handalf gave a thumbs up as Torinth patted his back to expel any excess water. Hiccup settled back down against Stormfly and Astrid. The two girls were too busy cheering to notice their youngest brother's coughing.

"Oh, yeah! Give me some!" Annly cheered as she held a hand up for Jiniva to high-five, but the little girl was too busy cheering to notice.

"Don't leave me hanging," Annly called. "Okay, fine."

"What?" Jiniva finally asked.

"Left me hanging," Annly replied.

"Sorry, I'll high-five you, now," Jiniva replied.

"Nope, too late," Annly answered.

"But come on-"

"Nope."

"Gimme your hand," Jiniva reached for Annly wrist, only to have the older girl shrug her off into the water. The two boys laughed at the scene as Torinth carried Handalf, who still looked a little shaky to the beach. Viddi finally glanced up from her book to see what the commotion was about. A hint of laughter lit up her green eyes, before she returned to her reading.

"You okay, baby?" Astrid asked the little blond boy as she took him from his brother and set him in his lap.

"Uh-huh, I just don't like falling in water," he answered as he snuggled to his mother's chest. Torinth sat down next to Viddi, and began to drop pinches of sand in front of her book.

"Torinth," Viddi tried to swat his hand away. But he quickly grabbed a handful of sand and dropped it on the pages. Viddi closed the book and tackled her grinning brother. Though she tried to look angry, there was fun in her eyes.

"My money's on Viddi!" Jiniva called as she and Annly made their way to the beach.

"You don't have money," Handalf pointed out.

"Does she look worried?" Annly asked in a sarcastic tone.

Hiccup smiled at his five children's fun and let out a contented sigh. Despite the string of surprises that got him here, he wouldn't trade his family for anything.


End file.
